Pages

Monday, September 24, 2012

German Attack on Cape Cod!

“ORLEANS, MASS., July 21.- An enemy submarine attacked a tow off the
easternmost point of Cape Cod today, sank three barges, set a fourth and their
tug on fire and dropped four shells on the mainland.”[Dallas Morning News, 21
July, 1918]

*
* * * *

When most people think of Cape Cod, they think of sandy (or rocky)
beaches, windswept expanses of dune grass, Henry David Thoreau, the Kennedys,
and for the summer of 2012, sharks. But on July 21st, 1918, the town of
Orleans, on the outer portion of the Cape’s “elbow,” became the site of the
only attack on US soil by the German Empire during World War I. This incident
was the first time since the War of 1812 that the territorial United States had
been directly attacked by a hostile force.

At approximately 11 o’clock in the morning, the German
U-Boat SM U-156surfaced
about 2 miles off Nauset Beach, the easternmost point of Cape Cod. It commenced
firing at the American tug boatPerth
Amboyand the
four barges that the tug was towing from Gloucester, Massachusetts to New York
City. Upon sighting the vessel , Captain J. H. Tapley of the tug immediately
sounded a warning and ordered the four barges abandoned. Under heavy shelling,
thePerth Amboyand its barges were set afire. Three of the barges sank,
fortunately giving the 41 crew and passengers sufficient time to board
lifeboats and escape to shore.

The attack continued for about an hour, during which a crowd of
thousands of Cape Cod residents were drawn to the area by the sound of the
U-Boat’s guns. According to a news piece on the incident by theBellingham Heraldof
Washington State,

"The flashes of
the guns and the outline of the U-Boat were plainly seen. Danger was not
thought of until a shell whirled over their heads and splashed in a pond a mile
inland. Three other shells buried themselves in the sand of the beach.” [The
Bellingham Herald, 22 July 1918]

Ten miles to the north,
meanwhile, the Chatham aviation station had responded to the attack by
deploying two hydroplanes, armed with depth charges. The appearance of these
craft caused the U-Boat to briefly break off its attack and submerge, only to
resurface when the planes once again flew north towards Chatham. This time,
when the planes turned around and began to fly low as if in preparation for an
attack, the German vessel disappeared under the waves and was not seen again.

Damage from the raid was
estimated to be in the range of $90,000 for the destroyed barges and $100,000
for thePerth Amboy. Torpedoes, shells and other ordinance fired by
the U-Boat was estimated to have cost the German Empire the equivalent of
$15,000. There was general confusion as to why the submarine would have gone to
the trouble of navigating the treacherous shoals of Cape Cod just to waste
ammunition on small craft. The opinion of the United States government was that
the Germans were attempting to shake American morale by targeting American
soil, and that Orleans, in the extreme east of Cape Cod, was just in an exposed
position. Others have suggested thatSM U-156had been stalking a
larger collier that had passed by on its way to New York just days before, and
that thePerth Amboyjust happened to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time.

All accounts seem to
agree that the attack could have been much worse than it was. No American
warships were around at the time of the raid, leaving the U-Boat free to do as
much damage as possible. Despite their free reign, the Germans were unable to
sink all of the barges and succeeded only in damaging the tug without managing
to completely destroy her. None of the crew were killed, nor were several women
and children whom who were aboard, although one sailor had his arm blown off.
Although several shells were aimed at the town of Orleans, one landed in a pond
and three others buried themselves harmlessly in the sand. Accounts of the
attack describe the Germans taking half an hour to hit and sink one of the
smaller barges. This was derided by American newspapers as poor shooting but
could also suggest outdated or malfunctioning equipment.

Sobered by this close
call, the American Navy began to improve the defenses of the First Naval
District in New England. Ships began to sweep the waters off of Massachusetts.
To shorten shipping routes and protect other coal convoys, the Federal
government assumed control of the Cape Cod Canal, providing direct access to
Buzzard’s Bay and the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Cod Bay. The busy port of
Boston remained open, but merchant ships were warned of the risk before setting
course for open waters.

SM U-156managed to escape undetected, although rumors
persisted amongst the residents of the coastal Northeast that pursuing American
warships had been heard and even sighted engaging the U-Boat. The submarine is
believed to have sunk after striking a mine in the North Atlantic in September
of 1918, several months after its assault on Cape Cod.

The children of Orleans,
quick to capitalize on the event, set up a table overlooking Nauset Beach. On
the table was a cage with a sheet over it, and in the cage was a chicken. For
ten cents, gawkers at the beach could lift the sheet and behold the “chicken
that survived the sub attack.”

* * *
* *

Have you spotted
submarines lurking just around the corner? Do you have a chicken you'd like to
show me, or an island to sell? Chickens cannot be placed in the appropriate
place below, but comments certainly can.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Aaron M. Dougherty

Aaron is a 2010 graduate of Eastern Michigan University's Master's program in History, with an undergraduate degree in History and Writing. Since 2010, he's worked as a writer, researcher, and historical interpreter for several museums and historical societies in the greater Boston area. Writing this blog is MOSTLY for fun.